Funeral
by La Vi3 bOh3M3
Summary: The funeral of a Seattle Grace surgeon. AU. Oneshot. Kind of AddisonMeredith centric. read and review!


A/N: I got a random idea to write another angst/sad little oneshot. This could have been done many times, but yeah. It's a oneshot. Read and review! BTW, I wasn't sure about how to write Meredith's grief, but I think she could go either way, so yeah. This is just what I think would happen. I hope she's not too OOC. 

Summary: The funeral of a Seattle Grace surgeon. AU. Oneshot. Kind of Addison, Meredith, and the dead surgeon centric.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Only playing with the characters. They go back in their little box that is Shonda's creative mind when this is done. :)

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The day was surprisingly sunny. The date was April 23rd, 2007. The surgeons of Seattle Grace gathered at the church to mourn a terrible loss they had suffered.

The limo that held Meredith Grey, Izzie Stevens, Alex Karev, Cristina Yang, and George O'Malley pulled up to the church, its occupants stepping out.

Izzie grabbed Meredith's hand, tightly, and whispered in her ear. "It's going to be okay, Meredith, I promise. You can do this."

With those comforting words spoken, the group made their way up the church steps and into the open room where the funeral was to be held. They sat down in the second row, reserving the first row for the victim's family.

Addison Montgomery, Mark Sloan, Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey, Callie Torres and Preston Burke arrived moments later. Addison already in tears; Mark trying to comfort her. They took the seats next to the interns and sat quietly, waiting for the funeral to begin.

The priest began to speak, and the room fell hushed.

"Derek James Shepard was a wonderful brother, son, and boyfriend…" he began.

Izzie clutched George's hand and tried to fight back tears. Though she wasn't close to Derek, he was her friend's boyfriend and a fantastic doctor with a wonderful future ahead of him...until a drunk driver changed that.

George squeezed Izzie's hand reassuringly and smiled weakly. He didn't know Derek well himself, but still, a good man was now gone.

Alex sat hunched in his seat, awkwardly, and kept his eyes cast downward.

Cristina held onto Meredith's hand and sat numbly next to her. She couldn't imagine if it had been Burke, and she was giving Meredith all the support she would take. She closed her eyes as the priest mentioned all of Derek's accomplishments. Do not cry. Cristina, DO NOT cry. She willed herself. She knew if Meredith saw her crying she would lose it herself.

Dr. Bailey was a strong woman. It took a lot for her to cry. But this was one of those times. She clutched a tissue in her hands and let the tears run down her face, mourning for their loss.

Addison thought she would have to be sedated, she was crying so hard. She cried silently, and Mark put his arms around her shoulders, silent tears running down his own cheeks. When the priest got to the part about Derek's marriage to Addison, she let out a small strangled cry. He was gone. Her husband was gone. The one man she truly loved. She didn't know if she would be able to live without him.

She broke. She finally broke. After the lump in her throat got to her, Meredith finally let the dam break, and salty tears poured down her face and into her mouth. She leaned into Cristina's shoulder and cried hysterically, but quietly, out of respect for Derek. She was in denial before. Unable to believe he was really gone. Unable to believe he would never walk through the door to her house, smiling and happy. But now she realized. And it hurt beyond belief.

The priest reached his conclusion, after Derek's mother and sisters spoke, which all flew by to Meredith. "Derek Shepard, may you rest in peace and prosper in God's home."

It was over. Derek was laid to rest, and his family and friends watched, all in silent grief. Every single one of the surgeons had lost a tear, even Cristina.

After the ten minutes it took for the mourners to leave the church, the surgeons of Seattle Grace waited last, even till after his family left. And one by one, they went up to Derek's elegant coffin and said their last goodbyes.

Izzie walked up with George, still clutching his hand, now fully crying. "Goodbye, Dr. Shepard. You were a great man, and we'll miss you." They returned and Alex went up to murmur the words he wanted to share. Dr. Bailey went up with the chief and she spoke in angry words. "You're an idiot, for leaving us, Derek. It won't ever be the same without you." She wiped tears from her face and walked back down. One, by one, the rest of the surgeons said their goodbyes, until only Addison and Meredith were left. Only Cristina and Callie waited near the back of the church for their friends, as the rest of the surgeons returned to their limos out front.

Addison looked at Derek's coffin and felt the tears coming on again. She pushed her hair back and bent down to kiss the closed casket. "Goodbye, Derek. I love you so much, even though it didn't exactly end well with us." She was guilty, because the last words she had said to him was that he was a selfish son of a bitch. They had another fight, and they never made up. Now Addison would have to live with that guilt the rest of her life. "Those 11 years were the best of my life." She whispered, and stepped back to allow Meredith her time.  
"Dr. Montgomery." Meredith's hoarse voice called out. "Wait."

Addison sniffled and turned around. "Dr. Grey?"

"I want you to be here when I say goodbye to the man I took from you."

Addison didn't respond, but she trooped back up the stairs and stood quietly as Meredith approached the coffin.

"Derek, I can't even begin to explain my love for you. I'm going to miss you so much, but we both know you belonged with Addison, and I'm so sorry the last words you had with her were a fight about me."

Addison looked up, shocked. Was she insane?

"Dr. Grey. Don't." She called out.

"Please." She whispered. "Let me finish."

"Derek, you were the best thing that ever happened to me, but I'm so sorry to have complicated the last year or so of your life. I love you more than life itself, and I hope to see you again one day." And then she was done.

She cried again silently and stepped back away from the coffin.

"Meredith, come here." Addison opened her arms. They had never hugged before, but now all the past jealousy seemed to wash away as the two women were brought together by an unreversable tragedy.

Meredith leaned into Addison, and Addison rocked her gently. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this. But we can get through it together."

"No…" Her voice shook. "I'm so sorry to have taken him from you."

Addison managed a small, bitter laugh. "Don't worry about it. He loved you."

The two women pulled away, both wiping away tears that never seemed to end. They smiled weakly at each other, and turned to walk back to their respective friends. Callie and Cristina wanted to cry just seeing their friends' grief.

With one final look at the coffin, the 4 women exited the church, lives changed forever, but hopefully a new bond formed because of it.

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A/N: Finished! That was a oneshot, but I could possibly add chapters if you guys want it. Let me know! Also, I hope Meredith wasn't too OOC, because I kinda feel like she was. W/evvs. Review and thanks for reading! 


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